Miss New Hampshire stays calm during judges' grilling

Miss New Hampshire Megan Lyman faces the judges during the interview portion of the competition on Monday. (COURTESY)

Megan Lyman, the reigning Miss New Hampshire, said Tuesday that she had a surprising lack of nerves while being grilled by the judges during an interview portion of preliminary rounds of the 2013 Miss America Scholarship Competition.

"I was very calm, actually," Lyman said about Monday's interview session. "I surprised myself by how calm I was."

Lyman is in Las Vegas this week with 52 other competitors from states and U.S. territories vying for the crown. No competitor from New Hampshire has ever won the competition.

Tuesday night was set for the talent portion of the preliminary rounds, and Lyman planned to tap dance. To Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory."

She said she realizes using the pop superstar, known for her outlandish costumes and stage shows, as her background music is a risky move for the straitlaced competition.

"A little bit (risky)," she said. "But we wanted something that was a new, fresh song."